Friday, May 22, 2009

Yesterday

Yesterday was a big day for the Padres in many respects, and unfortunately I was unavailable to read, publish or respond to any of your comments. I am still in Birmingham (at the airport now at 5:30am) and, contrary to the caricature, I don't even have a computer with me on this trip. Therefore, all comments with have to wait until I return late this weekend.

That being the case, expect me to get to all of your questions on Monday and Tuesday.

Can you please explain what the thinking behind the Jody Gerut deal was? It looks like a salary dump of a player making only 1.75MM. Fine, I think we can accept that, but why trade Gerut for TG Jr? He's a .600 OPS, AAAA type of player. The move can't be to get "younger" considering we have Macias and Venable below him and with Gwynn at 26 and playing pro ball now since 2003 his cieling seems non-existent. Why not deal for a minor leaguer down on his luck with some kind of upside?

If money was going to be this tight then why bring in Walter Silva and Cliff Floyd for what will cost $2 million when it's all said and done?

Just don't get it. Gerut may have only hit .270 with 20 homers but I would think something else could have been done. I hate to say it but acquiring TG Jr. seems like a PR stunt. I hope I'm wrong.

It is probably in the Padres' best interest to trade Peavy, as far as the team is from competing. But if he wants to stay in SoCal, you might have to consider dealing with the Dodgers. I don't fully understand why teams are often unwilling to trade with a division rival, especially with a player of Peavy's caliber. If it's an even deal, what's the difference? Plus if you could get Kershaw plus, or something else of sufficient value, wouldn't that make it worth your while?

I'm stunned you don't have a computer?! that's not you're M.O. at all! Anyway...

I'm trying to figure out what my Padres will look like in July. Peavy gone? I note he and his agent have been careful to say 'not right now' to the trade as opposed to 'not ever.' Blanks in left with Headley at third and Kouz benched or traded? Giles (assuming his BABIP rises and his numbers go with it) gone? What does that outfield look like - Headley/Blanks in LF, Gwynn (or Venable) in CF, Hairston in RF?

Love the trade for Tony jr. btw. Don't know if he's got a major league bat, but it's fun nonetheless. I was there thursday night and cheering my butt off when he came to the plate.

Finally, the Gregerson for Greene trade is looking better every day...

This is likely a question that has no good answer, but I'm just curious if you have any thoughts on the likelihood of Jake Peavy remaining a Padre long term.

With this latest episode with the White Sox (and I agree with Nick Canepa's column calling KT out for the faux pas it was), it seems to me that Towers et al are just trying to unload Peavy's contract anyway they can. Nevermind what they get back for a 27 year old Cy Young award winner whom Sandy Alderson called "the franchise." Just get him outta here to lower the payroll to what Moores wanted.

Given that Peavy's contract is, as I understand it, going up in value after this year, and given that the sale to Jeff Moorad won't be completed for four more years as I believe I read it (correct me if I'm wrong), what then, are the chances that Peavy stays here?

I'm not one of these fans who believes that the Padre brass fooled the town into building Petco Park just so they could put a cheap team on the field and keep most of the money for themselves (or whatever it is that the conspiracy theorist commenters believe). I know the Padre front office wants to win, and they're hamstrung by Moores at the moment. But it sure is disheartening watching the team try to give away Jake Peavy. A guy who is arguably the face of the franchise now that Hoffy is gone.

But as Nick Canepa said, this has apparently been the San Diego way. Watch our star players leave and go be stars somewhere else.

In an age of Petco Park, this does not bode well. I think fans can be forgiven for expecting more, if not for accusing Padre ownership of a bait-and-switch.